40

Word Count: 2097

~Dove

I flip another pancake, my jaw tight.

Dev wanders around the kitchen behind me, setting out plates and toppings for the pancakes. He's been singing up his breath while we prepared the batter, and now he's trying to get me to sing with him.

Unfortunately, I'm hardly in the mood.

"You can't keep sulking forever." He nudges my side, making me hiss. He almost made the pancake I was balancing on the spatula fall off onto the stovetop.

"Says who?" I bite back.

"Me." He leans against the bench, tugging at my loose clothing. "Your best friend who really thinks you should shower."

I give him a hard look. It's only been a week since Varian's party, and I haven't contacted him since. I've quit my job, which Dev maintains is in preparation to work for Varian, but I haven't made my mind up on that matter yet.

"Whatever," I mutter.

Dev studies me silently for a moment, watching as I pile more pancakes onto his plate.

"You have to admit, it was kind of hot," he says.

I frown. "What was...oh, you're terrible."

"That guy deserved it," he insists, launching into the speech he's given me multiple times since the night of the party. "Sure, Varian's methods were awfully primal, but the message he sent in doing that probably scared off a bunch of creeps acting the same way."

I sigh, pouring more patter into the pan, listening to the sizzle. That night has given me a lot to think about. I'm already struggling to comprehend the fact that I'm mated to an Alpha, let alone all the other things that go along with that.

"He's my mate, Dev. I can't be with someone who sees killing so flippantly." I flip the pancake.

"I thought him being your mate didn't matter." He raises his brows. "You're just working for him."

I rub my eyes, suddenly feeling fatigued.

"Am I making the right decision?" I ask him. "Working for him, I mean."

Dev taps his chin contemplatively.

"Depends," he muses. "By working for him, you're going to fall for his charms and incredible good looks while also stealing information from out asshole Alpha. Seems good to me."

I scowl at him. "You're conspiring against me."

I'm not sure why Dev wants me to be with Varian so bad. Maybe he sees something that I don't, or he believes I would be better off with my mate. Either way, he isn't afraid to tell me his perspective.

"Look, I haven't wanted to say this, and I've been holding off ever since Varian marked you." He pushes his hair back off his forehead, the red dye beginning to fade. "But I've been wanting to move to his pack."

My eyes widen. "You have?"

"I align more with the values there, I've just never been able to afford the move." He shrugs, turning to pour syrup onto his pancakes. "But I've been getting a lot of jobs through my appearances at Varian's parties, and I've saved up enough to move."

I figured this was coming, but it's still jarring to here. I'm not sure why I still live in this pack, but moving to Varian's seems too final, like I'm officially saying goodbye to my father and committing to being near Varian.

"You didn't tell me?"

"I couldn't leave without you." His smile returns, soft and tentative. "Now that you might be working for him, I figured we could finally move together."

It would make sense...plus, I could be closer to my sister.

"Can I think about it?" I ask, switching the stovetop off before dumping the final pancake onto my plate.

Devs nods, relieved I'm even considering it. "Of course."

"I don't want to hold you back—"

A strong knock sounds against the door, making is both jump. We exchange wary glances, not expecting anyone to be at our door so early in the morning, unless it's our landlord demanding early rent again.

"Weird," Dev mutters.

I stay in the kitchen, watching him cross our small apartment to the door. He opens it, revealing Varian standing at the threshold.

My eyes widen. Shit.

"Hello Deven," the Alpha greets coolly.

Dev visibly stiffens. Varian may now know that Dev and I aren't actually in a relationship, and that it was just a ruse, but I can practically see the thoughts whirring through my friends head as he contemplates whether this male at our door is here to kill him.

"Holy shit, hey."

"May I come in? I need to speak to Dove." Varian's voice reverberates through me, making me shiver. I'm not sure I'm ready to speak to him, but I clearly don't have much choice.

Dev leans against the doorframe. "She's actually out on a date at the moment."

I slap my hand against my face, inwardly groaning.

"What?" Varian snaps. "With who?"

"I'm kidding. Come on in." Dev holds the door open, looking over his shoulder to give me a wink. I pull a face back at him. If there's anything he's good at, it's making trouble for me.

Varian steps into the apartment, immediately dwarfing the space with his massive frame. He looks around, taking in the state of our living space.

I instantly regret all the bags of chips scattered about that I haven't eaten. Dev has wigs draped over every standing surface, and sequins glitter our floor. Almost all our sitting space is occupied by Dev's outfits, or my cleaning equipment from the job I just quit.

If Varian minds the mess, he doesn't make it apparent.

"Dove." He greets warmly as I approach him. "May we speak about work?"

"I suppose." I rub my damp palms together, uncertain what to do with myself.

Seeing Varian in my space is strange. Part of me thought of him as some beautiful element of a wild dream. Going away to parties, seeing him in his own pack...it felt unreal.

But he is very real, standing there with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the first few buttons of his shirt undone at the top. He looks ruffled, like he rushed here. It would have had to be travelling through the early hours of the morning to get here by this hour.

"I'm going to eat my pancakes elsewhere," Dev says awkwardly, grabbing his plate before stalking off to his room.

Varian watches him go, his jaw tight. I stand between the threshold of the kitchen and lounge, wondering if I look as uncomfortable as I feel.

"I want to first apologise about the other night," he starts. "I'm still getting used to this feeling of...possessiveness. I assume it's coming from our mate bond. I saw your knuckles, realised what he had done to you, and probably others, and lost my mind."

I rub my arm. "You really scared me."

He takes a step forward, a vulnerability about him that catches me off guard.

"I would do anything to protect you," he breathes. "But that won't happen again...not like that."

I nod, deciding to believe him. He's going to be my boss, that's it. If I were actually going to commit to a relationship with him, this conversation would be a little different.

"Alright fine. What did you want to talk about?" I ask.

He studies me quietly for a moment, deciding whether to move on from our line of discussion or not.

"Your first assignment," he finally says.

I straighten. "Already?"

"The quicker this is done, the less time you have to continue thinking about Matthias," Varian states.

I nod. "Good point."

"You're the first person in my circle who has such close access to him," he exclaims, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "I realise your relationship has eroded, but I imagine he has a soft spot for you, and— "

"How do you know?" I question bluntly.

He pauses, his brows pressing together. "How could he not?"

Something deep inside me softens. He seems genuinely perplexed at the possibility of Matthias being completely over me, which is a reality I suspect may be true.

"Go on..." I murmur.

"As much as it pains me to say this, but I need you to return to a version of your relationship with him," he says carefully.

I flinch. The last time I saw Matthias, he was about to kill me. I'll never forget the rage in his eyes and the way a switch seemed to flip within him. He was no longer looking at me like I was a person, but like I was scum who has betrayed him.

"Woah...you realise the entirety of our relationship was just fucking, right?" At one point, I thought there was more, but in hindsight, he was just using me. Any feelings Matthias might have felt for me at one point were driven solely by lust.

Varian frowns, darkness simmering in the depths of his eyes. It plunges the entire room's temperature down to what feels like almost freezing.

"I...do now," he mutters. "I am definitely not saying to bring that aspect back, but perhaps play into your familiarity with each other. Lure him close, get him to want to trust you."

I doubt Matthias will do anything more than sneer at me if I come near him. He'll still scent Varian's mark on me. I don't think he is capable of moving past the level of disgust for me.

But I have to try. It's my job now.

"Then I flesh out the information you need?"

"First we lay the groundwork, which is get close, but not too close." He grimaces slightly, recalling my admission about the explicit nature of Matthias and I's relationship. "We need a chance meeting."

"I have no way of getting close to him. Not without my father."

"There won't be a need. I have recognisance spies here who track his every move," Varian says mildly, looking out our single apartment window that boasts an incredible view of the side of someone else's building.

I follow his gaze out the window, then back at him. Have those spies ever tracked me?

"They can't be very good if they never knew about his illicit relationship with one of his staff." I cross my arms.

We were discreet. My father never knew, but he was clueless. Most of the time, all I needed from Matthias was a single glance to understand the signal to come to his room. Then, I would sneak through the shadows after my shift and into his bedroom.

"Perhaps not that good, but they know when he leaves the new manor he built just out of the city," Varian explains.

"Alright, how do I meet him then?"

"I'll set that up and I'll let you know." His hands glide into his pockets. "First you should meet with your father. That relationship should be stable so you're better trusted."

The thought of speaking to my father makes me feel ill, but the thought of lying to him doesn't. He deserves it, and so does Matthias. This might even be a little fun.

"That should be easy," I declare. "What about my scent?"

"Blame it on the mark I gave you." Varian's eyes fall to my thigh, which is mercifully covered by my pants. "Which in his mind, you're planning on having removed, alright?"

I nod. "So for now I just gain his trust?"

Varian steps forward, consuming my senses with his proximity.

"You don't want to make him suspicious," he says lowly. "You coming back to together again should feel natural."

"I know." I swallow.

As natural as it feels to be around Varian? After experiencing Varian's bedroom talents, I'm not sure I can muster the ability to pretend as though Matthias' ever matched, but I have to try.

"Just...don't let him touch you too much." A muscle in Varian's jaw ticks as his gaze travels along the lines of my face and lower. "Or I might lose my mind."

I press away the phantom feeling of desire that wants to betray me.

"We'll just have to see what happens, won't we?" I breathe.

🖤••🖤

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***

My hands tremble by my sides. "Don't sleep with her..."

He steps toward me, his eyes dark. "Why not?"

"Whatever you were planning to do to her tonight, do it to me instead," I whisper.

***

~Midika 🐈‍⬛💜